The present invention relates to a vehicle brake and clutch control and more particularly relates to such a control wherein the operation of a brake control linkage is interlocked with the operation of a clutch control linkage.
It is common practice to provide a vehicle such as a lawn and garden tractor with a traction drive that is controlled through means of a brake control linkage and a clutch control linkage, the brake control linkage including a brake pedal which is depressible to a brake-engage position to stop the tractor and the clutch pedal being depressible to a power-disengaged position to disconnect power to the traction drive. It is also common practice to include a hand-operated parking brake control linkage for selectively blocking the brake pedal in its brake-engage position.
Such a traction drive control has the disadvantage that the tractor may be operated when the brake pedal is held in its brakeengage position by the parking brake control. Operation of the tractor under this condition may either result in the brake lining being burned out resulting in brake failure or, damage to the drive axle or other drive components could result from releasing the clutch with the engine at full throttle and the transmission in gear.